Everything You Wanted To Know About LotR
by AzureSkye23
Summary: ...But were too afraid to ask. Important information about the works of J.R.R.Tolkien. Helpful for anyone who wants to write a good LotR story, but doesn't know the legends and stories behind it. Co-written with CrackinAndProudOfIt.
1. Introduction, Writing, and Canon

Everything You Wanted to Know About LotR

...But Were Too Afraid To Ask. The ins and outs of the fandom.

I'm AzureSkye23. I'm a sophomore in college, studying history. I read the Hobbit around age 8, and didn't like it all that much. I read the Lord of the Rings at age 10, and fell in love. That was the extent of my knowledge about that universe until last year, when I read the Silmarillion. Since then, I've read the Unfinished Tales, the Narn I Chin Hurin, reread the Hobbit (and liked it better), and am working my way through the History of Middle Earth series. I have been reading fan fiction for three years, writing it for close to a year.

_Hey, there! I'm CrackinAndProudOfIt, or Crackers, for short, and I'm one of those weird people who are obsessed with words, meaning that reading and writing are my passions. It's only natural, then, that my love for the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, which I've possessed since reading The Hobbit for class several years ago, has spilled over into a niche for writing fanfiction based off of these beloved stories. I love the historical background of Middle-earth, so The Silmarillion is something I know lots about. I'm not a professional at writing, only somebody who wants to help out my fellow fanfic authors as much as I can._

So, I know I have about two sentences to convince you to read this fic. The truth is, both Crackers and I are rather obsessed with the works of JRRT, and love to read and write. Too many seem daunted by the complexity of the legends that Tolkien came up with, and thus don't read The Silmarillion or his other complementary works. So, we decided to write this, to try and give some basic knowledge that any self-respecting author needs to know to write well in this fandom.

*Self respecting* That's the key. I've noticed a rather odd trend; it seems like people no longer care about what they write. They don't want to know about the characters, or the story, or the world, or anything. They just write stuff that has no bearing on the actual story besides names (and sometimes, not even then) and is poorly written with no attention paid to style or grammar. If you're going to write something like that, just change the names and go publish it over at fiction press. If you struggle with grammar, or places, or political circumstance, or history, there are wonderful people called Betas who will be happy to help you. Both Crackers and I Beta, if you need someone to do so, you can PM either of us, or there are long lists of others. But please, get the assistance you need before you post your stories.

_You're so right, Skye! There's something to be said for writers who care about their work enough to take the time and effort necessary to make it the very best they possibly can. It only makes sense to do so, to my mind: Why write if it doesn't matter to you? If it doesn't matter to you, why post it online to share with the world? If one is going to take the time to create stories based on Tolkien's writings (or anyone's writings, for that matter) and put them on a website like our dear FFn, why wouldn't they want to craft work to be proud of, that other people will read and enjoy for its quality? _

_Well, after reading a paragraph of obnoxious rhetorical questions from Crackers Truly, you're probably wondering what it all means and what point I'm trying to get across. Maybe, if you're one of those genuine writers I mentioned, who wants to work to make their stories the best they can be, you're even wondering how to go about doing so. Skye has already mentioned the Beta-factor, which is very important, useful, and beneficial, but there is something even more basic that a fanfic author can do on his or her own to make their story a thousand times better: respect canon._

Canon is ridiculously important. We are so privileged to play in a fandom that we can say with fairly good confidence that the author of the original work would not only be tolerant of our playing in his universe, but actually be delighted we're doing so.

Of course, canon is a bit difficult for us, especially when you start playing with the facts found in the Silmarillion. Canon is technically what the author actually wrote. Our problem comes that Tolkien spent his entire life creating and recreating his mythos, which is another reason you should respect it: it was literally his life's work.

But the changes do cause some problems. For instance, some of the stories mentioned in the Hobbit can be found today in the History of Middle-earth series. They were later changed and revised by Tolkien. So where does that leave us little fanfic writers?

My stance is about the same as it is on AUs. Know it all, and then know what you want to change. In my opinion, the three major books of the canon: the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion should usually be considered the final authorities. However, there are somethings, like the genealogy, where I follow the History of Middle-earth canon. And there are some where I switch back and forth between the two depending on how it fits with my story.

But the key is, I know both. I'm not just making it up as I go along.

_Exactly! It seems that at times many fanfic writers somehow get the idea that just because Tolkien's realm is considered a "fantasy" world, anything goes. The Professor, however, as Skye mentioned, dedicated his whole life to perfecting his "legendarium" (as he called it), and it has defined rules and boundaries, which we'll discuss in later chapters. When an author follows them, he or she not only shows respect for Tolkien and the canon but for his or herself as a creative individual. _

_A story that has been thought and laboured over, with research to back it up and give it depth, is something a writer can be proud of. Readers will notice when a lot of 'TLC' has been put into a fanfic, and it sets an author's story at a much higher caliber of work than others'. Who wouldn't want to write a fic that stands out because of their own dedication to making it the best they can?_

_Everybody wants to feel proud of him or herself, and if you're into writing, that's one place you can find some of that sense of accomplishment. One of the best feelings in the world can be derived from knowing that you've put 100% into a story and seeing that others notice that and appreciate your hard work. _

_If you're reading this, I know that you're capable of producing that kind of excellent writing. How do I know this? Because if you're on FFn, that means that you think writing is fun, fun enough to have as a hobby and spend your spare time on; you wouldn't love writing that much if you weren't a talented and creative individual_.

So here's what we're planning to do to help you. First, we're going to make a forum where you can ask your questions. Crackers created it, and it's called: LotR Fanfic Writing: Help Wanted? If you have a question, you can ask us there. If you know a lot about the works of JRRT and want to hang out there and answer people's questions we'd love that too. And of course, you can always just PM me (AzureSkye23) or Crackers (CrackinAndProudOfIt).

With regards to this fic, we're going to give you a brief rundown on the races found in Arda, an overview of the languages Tolkien invented, important people, tips for writing good OCs and AUs, and some in-universe history that will help your stories. Also, if we get a lot of similar questions in the forum, we will probably write a chapter covering it.

Please, if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! We would love to help you further explore the wonderful world JJRT created; the world we love to play in, and spend so much time researching, reading, dreaming, and writing about.


	2. Of Ainur and Elves

**Aand we're back! With the Ainur and the Elves! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to PM either me or CrackinAndProudOfIt, or ask us over at our forum LotR Writing: Help Wanted? And if you get confused with all the names, don't worry, I'll be putting up a short information list for all of them, as soon as...I...actually...write it. :) Enjoy! **

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><p>So there you are, happily reading through Lord of the Rings. And you're getting so confused, because there are mentions of so many different races, and Tolkien's using kennings for them occasionally (Keep in mind he's the one who popularized Beowulf) and it's simply confusing until you sit down with a list, or figure out the history of Númenor. So, we're going to give you a guide to the races that populate Arda from the top down, listing physical characteristics and the like when appropriate.<p>

To start off, Tolkien was a Christian. So there is a God in the Judeo-Christian sense in his universe, Eru Ilúvatar. But Tolkien also loved the Norse myths, and so Ilúvatar created children of his thought, the Ainur.

The Ainur come in two categories, the Valar, and the Maiar. The Valar are the 'gods' of Arda, in more of a Norse sense. There are fourteen of them: Manwë, Varda (Elbereth), Ulmo, Aulë, Yavanna, Nienna, Námo, Vairë, Irmo, Estë, Oromë, Vána, Tulkas, and Nessa.

There was also one more: Melkor, named in Middle-earth Morgoth Bauglir. The oldest and most powerful of the Valar, he fell to darkness before the world was. He's the main antagonist of the Silmarillion. He's actually mentioned in the Lord of the Rings: When the Balrog shows up in Moria, it's introduced as a Balrog of Morgoth. Yeah. That's him. Actually, in the First Age, Sauron is his lieutenant. Getting a sense of his power? But at the end of the First Age, the other Valar finally went to war against him, and bound him and threw him out to the Void, from which he cannot return until the end of Arda.

Then there are the Maiar. They are lesser in power than the Valar, and serve them. The two that are best known to the general public are Sauron and Olórin. Olórin you probably know better as Gandalf. ;) The Istari, or the Wizards, were Maiar sent to stand quietly against Sauron, who was, after all, one of them. Only Gandalf was able to complete his task. There is actually a reason Aragorn, who is heir to the throne of both Gondor and Arnor, defers to him.

While most of the Maiar followed the Valar, a few did follow Morgoth. Of them, Sauron was easily the most dangerous, and probably the most powerful. Sauron actually came close to taking over the world three times, once under Morgoth, once during the time of the Lord of the Rings, and once at the end of the Second Age, which was his most successful attempt. He got so close that not even the Valar could stop him, and was instead stopped by Eru Ilúvatar himself. There is nothing worse than fanfic that makes Sauron look stupid, because he is easily one of the smartest characters Tolkien ever created.

_Speaking of smart characters, Skye, let's talk about elves- yes, I'll admit it- my favourite topic. In the LotR books and movies, Tolkien's elves, otherwise known as the Eldar, Eldalië, or Firstborn, are some of the most memorable characters, for their immortality, their wisdom, their valour, and (Yes, "Leggy-lovers," I'm looking at you.) their beauty. If I were to talk about everything there is to know about the Elves, then you and I both would be here for days, but for now I'll give some basic information on who and what they are._

_The Elves are one of two Races specially created and fathered by Ilúvatar. They were created first, hence the title 'Firstborn,' and their first ancestors awoke beside the waters of Cuiviénen in the far East of Middle-earth before even the Sun and Moon were made. Only the stars were above them for light, and this love of stars continued throughout the history of Arda (I'll use that term interchangeably with 'Middle-earth.'). They were created immortal, to endure as long as the world itself, dying in body only from injury or grief, never sickness, to be returned to physical form as soon as they are deemed ready. They are beautiful in body and great artists, each after their own nature. The topic of the arts of the Elves brings us to the main thing that someone who has merely read LotR may not- and certainly should- know about them: their subcultural divisions._

_The Elves from the beginning were divided into three distinct people groups: the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Teleri. The Vanyar are typically golden-haired, the most reverent of the Valar and docile of the three kindreds. Once they journeyed to the Undying Lands, they left but once, content to write songs and poems, worshiping at the feet of the Valar forever. You do not meet a single Vanya in LotR, though some, such as Galadriel, have Vanyarin blood._

_The complete opposite of the Vanyar are the Noldor. Their name means the wise, and they are completely absorbed in study and learning. These Elves are typically dark-haired and have a passion for languages. They are also renowned artists and craftsmen: of Rings, Jewels, and other things of beauty. The Noldor, however, were also the swiftest of the Elves to desire change in their environment; in the First Age, their curiosity and intelligence led to great unrest among them in the Undying Lands, which I won't go into the politics of now. At any rate, they were led by the greatest among them, Feanor, out from the land of the Valar to set up realms of their own. They are great warriors, bold and adventurous for the most part, and stubborn as the day is long. You see no pure-blooded Noldor in LotR, though both Elrond and Galadriel have Noldorin ancestors._

The Teleri, the third clan, have a bit more difficult history to follow. See, sometime after they woke at Cuiviénen, Oromë (Remember him? He's a Vala.) found them and invited them all to come to Valinor. All the Vanyar went, all the Noldor went...but some of the Teleri stayed behind, and some got themselves lost in the journey.

There are the Avari: the ones who never left to travel to Valinor. You never hear about them again, really.

Then there are the ones who got lost or turned back while traveling to Valinor. For the sake of simplicity, we'll call most of them Silvan, though...that's an over-simplification.

Then there are the Sindar. They made it all the way to the western coast of Middle-earth, and were all set to travel to Valinor when their king, Elwë, disappears. Some of them take Elwë's brother Olwë as king and continue to Valinor, and are the Teleri. The ones who stay eventually find Elwë, who had met and fallen in love with the Maia Melian, and they form the kingdom of Doriath. They are the Sindar.

Confused yet? Here's the simple version. The Teleri who don't leave Cuiviénen are the Avari. Those who get lost on the journey are the Silvan. Those who go looking for Elwë are the Sindar. Those who make it to Valinor are still the Teleri.

And Legolas is a Sinda.

Now you're going, but you said all the Noldor made it to Valinor? How do elves who are still in Middle-earth have Noldorin blood?

Well, in a nutshell, some of the Noldor come back. It's basically the entire plot line of the Silmarillion: how that came to happen, and what the consequences were. And there were consequences. Big ones.

One of the few happy consequences are the Peredhil. That's a handy little elvish word meaning 'half-elven'. (It's plural, f.y.i. Singular is Peredhel.) Elwë (who's name gets changed to Elu Thingol) and Melian had a daughter, Luthien. For those of you who have read the books, you'll remember her mentioned by Aragorn at Weathertop, and several more times throughout the books. She falls in love with a Man, Beren.

They have a very interesting tale, but what's important for our purposes here is that they have a son, Dior. He has a daughter, Elwing, who happens to be the mother of Elrond. While Elrond is called 'half-elven' quite a bit, that's not actually literal, his closest human ancestor is Tuor, his father's father. Tuor married Idril, a Noldorin princess, and they had a son Eärendil, who married Elwing.

There are only three instances of Mortal/Immortal marriages. (And in Tolkien's world, elves don't have random liaisons, or one night stands. If you have sex, you're married.) Beren and Luthien, Tuor and Idril are the most famous and both happen in the First Age. There is another account that one of the first Lords of Dol Amroth married an elf, but that marriage did not end happily. It's the main reason they don't happen all that often: the Mortal partner dies.

Ok, Theology moment. In Tolkien's universe, when Men die, they leave the circles of Arda. Bye-bye, no one knows where they go. Elves, on the other hand, are bound to Arda. Even when killed they stay. The only, ONLY exception is Luthien, who was granted permission by Ilúvatar himself to do otherwise.

So all you Aragorn/OC:elf writers... Random elves cannot give up their immortality. Arwen is Peredhel!

See, all the half-elven, starting with Eärendil and Elwing, had to choose which kindred to belong to. Eärendil and Elwing chose immortality. Their twin sons, Elros and Elrond, also received the choice. Elrond chose to be an Elf. Elros chose to be a Man and founded Númenor, and is Aragorn's many great-grandfather. (Aragorn and Arwen are first cousins, 63 times removed.)

The choice was also offered to Elrond's children, which is why Arwen had the choice to give up her immortality, and follow Aragorn into death and beyond.

And that little note brings us to the second race counted as children of Ilúvatar: Men.

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><p><strong>So, the next chapter will be a brief descriptive list of all the people in this chapter, and Chapter 4 will continue with Men! Updating might be slightly sporadic; both Crackers and I are rather busy at the moment. Still, you should see from us soon!<strong>


	3. Character Index Part 1

**Names in Chapter Two: The quick reference guide for all the names we dropped in the last chapter. ;)**

Aragorn- _You know him, Elendil's heir, the king that returns. He's the chief of the Dúnedain and knows Wilderland (a.k.a. Rhovanion) like nobody's business. He marries Arwen, as you doubtless know._

Arwen–Daughter of Lord Elrond, said to look like her foremother Luthien comeback to Middle-earth...and Luthien was the most beautiful child of Ilúvatar *ever* so that's saying something. Peredhel, she chose mortality, and followed her husband Aragorn beyond the circles of Arda.

Aulë-_ the Vala of all crafts and learning. His spouse is Yavanna, and, believe it or not, he spends a lot of time with the Noldor, who happen to be fond of those very things._

Beren- _total JERK!_ Crackers, no. She doesn't like him because he hurt her favorite elf. Ignore her. The son of Barahir, he married Luthien, and really managed to annoy Morgoth. _And me!_ *sigh*

Dior-_ Why do I get stuck with all of the First Age characters I hate? Anyway, Dior's Beren and Luthien's half-elven son. He takes up his grandfather Thingol's realm after Thingol meets his *cough*hardly untimely*cough* doom._ She just hates him because he killed her favorite elf. In Dior's defense, he was attacked, and died too. Crackers is just biased. ;)

Eärendil–Son of Tuor and Idril, he convinced the Valar that they should come to the aid of those in Middle-earth and stop Morgoth, which lead to Morgoth being consigned to the Void, where he will remain until the end of Arda. Eärendil was married to Elwing, and they had twin sons, Elros and Elrond.

Elrond- _You know him, though you may not know his history- yet! For now, I'll suffice to say that he's the wise, half-elven lord of Rivendell. He's much kinder than the movies sometimes make him out to be._ Yeah, the movie-verse line "Men are weak," makes me laugh every time, because he's related to some of the strongest men of the First Age. One of whom defied Morgoth for *40 years*. He's also the son of Eärendil and Elwing, and the husband of Celebrían, who is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, and is the father of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen.

Elros–Elrond's twin brother. He chose Mortality at the end of the First Age, and was the first king of Númenor. Aragorn is descended from him.

Elwë–Also known as Elu Thingol, he was king of the Sindar of Beleriand. Married to Melian the Maia, his daughter was Luthien. He died when a group of Dwarves double-crossed him.

Elwing–Daughter of Dior, granddaughter of Beren and Luthien, she married Eärendil, and was the mother of Elros and Elrond. There's a lot more to her story, but we'll have to explain the Silmarils first.

Eru Ilúvatar- _simply put? God. He created Arda, along with everyone and everything in it. He composed the music that makes up the fabric of its history and is in complete control._

Estë–Lady of Rest and Healing, she is the spouse of Irmo.

Galadriel–Born in Valinor, she returned to Middle-earth with others of the Noldor before the beginning of the First Age. Her father, known as Finarfin in Middle-earth, remained in Valinor, and became High King of the Noldor in Aman. She lived for a long time in Doriath, and was friendly with Melian, its Maiarin Queen. She married Celeborn, a Sindarin prince, and they had Celebrían, who married Elrond.

Idril–A princess of the Noldor, she married Tuor, a mortal. Their son was Eärendil.

Irmo–Vala of dreams. He and his older brother Námo are known as the Fëanturi, the masters of spirits. Estë is his spouse, and Nienna and Námo are his older siblings.

Legolas–You should really know him. Prince of the Greenwood, son of Thranduil.

Luthien–Daughter of Thingol and Melian, she was the most beautiful of the children of Ilúvatar. She fell in love with Beren, a mortal, and after fulfilling an impossible quest they married. Their son was Dior. She was granted permission by Manwë and Ilúvatar to follow Beren beyond the circles of Arda, and so she alone among the Elves has truly died and left the world.

Manwë–The Elder King. Vala of the Air, the great Eagles are his servants. Brother of Melkor, he is responsible for all with in Ea (the universe).

Melian–A Maia who fell in love and married Thingol. Their daughter was Luthien.

Melkor- _He's the Dark Lord to end all Dark Lords, the big bad tyrant of Middle-earth. He was nicknamed Morgoth (the Black Enemy) for his evil deeds and ruled in the First Age until he was tossed out into the Void for eternity. (And good riddance!)_

Námo–My favorite Vala. Yes, all you who know about him already are probably going, 'huh?' I have weird tastes, OK? He's the Doomsman of the Valar. Prescient, he sees all except what lies within the free will granted by Ilúvatar. He's also in charge of the fëa (spirits/souls) of the slain. His demesne is the Halls of Mandos, where the fëar of elves wait to be re-born. Also known as the Judge, he is considered stern and dispassionate. His spouse is Vairë, the Weaver. Nienna is his older sister, and Irmo is his younger brother.

Nessa–A Valië who enjoys dancing. She is the sister of Oromë, and the wife of Tulkas.

Nienna–The Lady of Pity, she weeps for the wounds of the world. She often goes to the Halls of Mandos, and the souls their cry to her, for she teaches compassion and Hope in adversity. Older sister of Námo and Irmo, she is unwed.

Olórin–Gandalf. ;)

Olwë–Became King of the Teleri after his brother Elwë went missing.

Oromë–Vala of the hunt, he was the one to find the Elves when they awoke. He escorted them to Valinor. His spouse is Vána, and Nessa is his sister.

Sauron–My favorite Maia. I know, I'm weird. You should all know a good bit about him, but here's some more you may not have known. He first served Aulë, and retained his knowledge and put it to use when he served Morgoth. He was actually smarter than Morgoth, and was able to figure out how to many things Morgoth wanted to do that Morgoth himself couldn't figure out. A tactical genius, it's stated that his biggest mistake in the Ring War was that he didn't figure out where the Shire was fast enough–something he could not have known. He made no mistakes when he overthrew Númenor–Not even the Valar could stop him. It's just rather futile to try and take over the world when Ilúvatar is perfectly willing to stop you. ;)

Tulkas–the most warlike of the Valar, he hate Melkor fervently. He is impatient, and gives little thought to past or future. His wife is Nessa.

Tuor–A Mortal, he married the Noldorin Princess Idril. Their son was Eärendil. His family managed to annoy Morgoth quite a bit. But that is yet another story...

Ulmo–Vala of the Seas. Closest in friendship to Men and Elves, and second only to Manwë.

Vairë–The Weaver. History is her domain, which makes her my second favorite Vala. She weaves the history of Arda onto giant tapestries, which hang in the Halls of Mandos. Námo is her spouse.

Vána- _She's the Valië (that's female Vala.) of flowers. That's all she does, called the Ever-young, she's beautiful, and basically in charge of all things happy and spring-like. She's the spouse of Oromë._ Yavanna is her older sister.

Varda (Elbereth)–Spouse of Manwë, she is the Valië of the Stars. She is the most loved of the Valar by the Elves, who cry to her always. Her Sindarin name means Star-queen.

Yavanna–The Earth queen, she is the spouse of Aulë. Second only to Varda among the Valiër (female Valar) plants and animals are her creations. Vána is her little sister.


	4. All About Men

**And here's the next chapter, all about the Secondborn, Men! Like chapter two, I'll put up a character list for this chapter. And sometime near the end of this fic, we'll be putting up a master index, with (hopefully) all the characters you would need to know. **

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><p><em>The mortal race of Men, humanity, Atani, Hildor, and many other names, began in much the same way as the Elves. Conceived by Ilúvatar as creatures wholly unique to place upon His world, He awoke them with the first rising of the Sun in yet another locale far in the East of Middle-earth. Their history is more complicated than that of the Eldar, and involves spiritual factors such as death, which in Tolkien's world was always a trait Ilúvatar intended them to possess. When He made them, the words He used were "new gifts" that He would give this race of mortals.<em>

_Men, as a whole, were said to be restless, seeking always for something beyond this world, in which they tarry only a short time before passing beyond it. They are given, however, free will and more options to form their own destiny than Elves and Ainur, Ilúvatar's other children. I won't go into the specifics of this characteristic, quite frankly because the issue is so pertinent to our own lives that I wouldn't be able to do so whilst staying on topic and for the all important reason of: I don't fully understand it._

_Having this gift, though, of freedom, Men naturally would abuse it, making choices that did not honour Ilúvatar and brought much grief into the world. Once again, I won't elaborate on philosophy here, because I only have a mind that's so big, and I'm trying to teach you about fanfic, not faith. Some Men, though, did please Ilúvatar and the Valar, so much, in fact, that they received at the end of the First Age a reward for their valiant deeds against Morgoth. (Yep, Sauron's old boss!)_

_The reward these good Men received was this: a massive island located between Middle-earth and the Undying Lands; they named it Númenor, literally "West-land," or "Westernesse." Now, that name should ring bells even for you movie-watchers! Elros- like Skye's told you, that's Elrond's mortal brother- was the first king of this prosperous realm of mariners._

_The people of Númenor, and especially those of the royal line of Elros, whom, as you now know, had blood of Maiar and Elves, were granted lifespans double or even triple that of other Men. This characteristic continued even into the latest descendants of Westernesse, so, as anyone who has seen _The Two Towers: Extended Edition_ doubtless remembers, Aragorn possessed this long life and was in his upper eighties at the time of LotR. (Don't get grossed out; he's still got his looks because he's as advanced in years as someone in his forties!) The Men of Númenor are otherwise known as the Dúnedain (singular, Dúnadan), meaning Men of the West._ (Dun–west, Edain–Men. There's your geeky note of the day.)

_Númenor was a prosperous kingdom–while it lasted. However, the people of Númenor became discontent, jealous of the Elves and their immortality, and craved that same longevity for themselves. It couldn't happen, though, and this lust created a huge rift between Númenor and the Valar and Eldar they had once been in close communion with. It also created two political parties in Númenor: the King's Men (who hated the Valar and wanted them overthrown) and the Faithful (who still revered the Valar and desired the friendship of the Elves)._

_Meanwhile, in Middle-earth, Sauron was gaining power; when the Númenóreans got word that he was planning to overthrow them, their current king, Ar-Pharazôn marched out to meet him, guns blazing. Sauron was cunning, though, and devised a plan by which to topple Númenor from within. He orchestrated that he would be taken back to the island as a prisoner, and from there, he slowly gained power as he fed Ar-Pharazôn lies._

_He corrupted the whole kingdom, except for the few remaining Faithful, and set them to the worship of Morgoth and the glorification of themselves. Their unrest grew, and Ar-Pharazôn aged, fear growing upon him as his death drew near. Deeming the time ripe, Sauron provoked Ar-Pharazôn to lead an attack against the Valar themselves, which got all of Númenor drowned beneath the waves and Ar-Pharazôn and his men all slain even as they disembarked to claim Valinor as their own. Ilúvatar Himself destroyed the errant people, for the Valar laid down their power, allowing Him to act directly in their dilemma as to the resolution to this problem. Sauron had succeeded, and he returned disembodied to Middle-earth shortly thereafter._

Sauron wasn't entirely successful, however. Some of the Faithful escaped to Middle-earth, and established kingdoms there. They were known as the Númenórean realms in exile, Gondor and Arnor. Elendil was the leader of the faithful, a name everyone should know! When Sauron realized that Elendil had escaped the Downfall, he attacked Gondor, hoping to destroy them.

But Elendil made an alliance with Gil-galad, the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. Together they led their people in the War of the Last Alliance. For you movie-people that's the first 'chapter' of The Fellowship of the Ring. Both Gil-galad and Elendil died in that war, though Sauron was overthrown, and the One Ring taken from him.

Of course, the Ring was not destroyed, and Isildur took it for himself. The Unfinished Tales indicate that by the time of his death, he was fully aware he could not wield it, and was planning to surrender it to the bearers of the Three elven rings. Still, he never got the chance, for he and all but three of his people were slaughtered on the banks of the Anduin. The Ring remained lost for much of the Third Age.

Though bereft of their lords, the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor still prospered. In Gondor, the son of Anárion, second son of Elendil, ruled. In Arnor, Valandil, the only surviving son of Isildur, oldest son of Elendil, ruled. Arnor was eventually destroyed, but it's line of royalty was never broken, and Aragorn was descended directly from Valandil. In Gondor, the line of Kings was broken, and Gondor was ruled by Stewards, also descended from the Faithful. At the time of the Lord of the Rings, Denethor is Steward. After Aragorn was crowned, the two kingdoms were again under one rule as they had not been since the days of Elendil.

_And that concludes the terribly lengthy tale of Númenor! Just think, though–we could have said a great amount more! This leads us into the two other main divisions of Men, in the words of Faramir: Middle Men and Men of Darkness. Don't worry, dears, there's a good deal less to say about them!_

_The main group of Middle Men that you know and love is the Rohirrim, the Horse-lords of Rohan. They journeyed from the north about 500 years before the time of LotR to the aid of Gondor in a war and were granted their current habitation as a gift for their help. Other groups of Middle Men include, for those of you who have read The Hobbit, the people of Beorn and Bard in Wilderland to the northeast, along with the men of Bree. The Middle Men, though good people, did not make the journey to Númenor, caring more for the lands of Middle-earth and having no desire to go West._

_The Men of Darkness, however, are a different story. You might know them best from the Pelennor Fields scenes in RotK. They can be seen riding mumakil (a.k.a. 'oliphaunts') and sailing in corsair ships. From the First Age on, Men of Darkness, often called Easterlings, have made alliances with and served the Dark Lords, Morgoth first, and then Sauron in his turn. Those buggers just can't seem to learn the lesson that serving the Enemy doesn't pay! In LotR, Sauron's allies come from the eastern country of Rhun and the southern realms of Khand and Harad._

_There's one last division of Men, though, that you, my good reader, know very, very well: Halflings. Otherwise known as Hobbits, Periain, Periannath, or Holbytlan, all these names refer to the group of mortals that we all love best, LotR's unlikely heroes from the Shire. Yes, they are considered human, though distinct from the other groups of Men who are, of course, taller!_

_They themselves know little of their own history, except that long ago they dwelt by Anduin and then, clan by clan, made their slow and steady way West to the Shire. Residing in considerable peace in the Shire for over a thousand years, they outlasted Arnor, and developed a peaceful, pleasant way of life, centered around good food, good drink, good smoke, and good friends. Rarely leaving the Shire, they became suspicious of everything from outside it, with the exception of the prominent families of the Tooks and Brandybucks._

_Hobbits have a great fondness for genealogies, so I won't here recount all of the intricacies of our heroes' heredity, but if you find a copy of The Return of the King, a peep into Appendix C will tell you even more than you wanted to know!_

_And on that note, my friend, of looking information on Tolkien's world up for yourself, because that is a point I'd very much like to impress upon you: If there's anything more specific that you'd like to know, or if by some chance we've piqued your interest in the things of Middle-earth, there's nothing that can replace picking up Tolkien's wonderful books for yourself. I promise that you won't regret it!_


	5. Character Index Part 2

**This character list is short today. I think I've already said that we're going to do a master list of all of these...Well, anyway, we are. I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, because Crackers and I are both really busy, but keep an eye out for us! Next chapter is about all the other creatures of Arda. **

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><p>Anárion–Second son of Elendil.<p>

Aragorn–You should know him…

Ar-Pharazôn–Last king of Númenor, decided in his pride that he should be the strongest king of the mortal lands, and decided to subjugate Sauron. Did so, but took Sauron back to Númenor, where he rose in favor, and ended up convincing Ar-Pharazôn to attack the blessed realm, which ended in the total destruction of Númenor. Smart guy. Really.

Bard–Bard the Bowman! Killed Smaug in the Hobbit.

Beorn–Skin-changer, he can turn into a big black bear. Also a character in the Hobbit.

Denethor–Steward of Gondor. Again, you should know him.

Elendil–Founder and first High King of Gondor and Arnor. Killed in the War of the Last Alliance by Sauron.

Elrond–Eärendil's son, the only character to appear in the Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit.

Elros–Elrond's twin brother, chose mortality at the end of the First Age, and was the first king of Númenor.

Faramir–Second son of Denethor. You should know him too…

Gil-galad–"Gil-galad was an elven king/of him the harpers sadly sing/the last who's realm was fair and free/between the mountains and the sea." Last high-king of the Noldor in Middle-earth, died in the War of the Last Alliance fighting Sauron.

Ilúvatar–God. End of story.

Isildur–Oldest son of Elendil.

Morgoth–Original Dark Lord.

Sauron–You should know him. Go back two chapters, and you'll see my long, long bio of him.

Valandil–Youngest and only surviving son of Isildur. Aragorn's many great-grandfather.


	6. Everyone else in Arda

**Yes, it's been a while since we updated. Sorry about that, we've both been extremely busy. **

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><p><em>Welcome back, and we're getting right into a chapter simply packed with information. We're planning to cover all of the other Races, less-focused-on people groups that could be considered (with some exceptions) to be the "creatures" of Middle-earth. Buckle your seat-belts, hold on tight, and let's get started!<em>

_The first Race up for discussion is the Dwarves. This stature-challenged people group got their beginnings in an unconventional fashion. Aulë (Remember him? He's the Vala of crafts.) created the seven fathers of the Dwarves way-back-when in the Deeps of Time, craving to emulate Ilúvatar in the creation of beings of his own. Ilúvatar, however, was somewhat less than happy with this, and explained to Aulë that he had done wrong by seeking to make life of his own. The Dwarves would have become the Vala's puppets, and ended up having no life at all. Repentant, Aulë steeled himself to strike down his new creations, but they sprang back from his hand, the sign that Ilúvatar had granted them life apart from their maker's._

Thus, they kind of became Ilúvatar's adopted children. They generally live 250 years, and no one's quite sure what happens to them when they die–some of the more xenophobic elves hold that they simply return to the dirt when they die; that they have no fëar(spirits/souls). The dwarves themselves hold that when they die they go to halls set apart for them by Aulë.

Dwarves were created to withstand the Darkness, as the Valar were more or less constantly fighting Melkor at the time. They are stubborn, and do not give in easily to outside influence. Sauron was never able to completely dominate them with the Rings he gave them–merely increase their love of and greed for gold and other wealth.

When Yavanna learned of her husband's doings, she was rather upset. Because Aulë had created Dwarves completely on his own, they had no love of growing things, and Yavanna knew that they would see her creations simply as tools. Concerned most for her beloved plants (because while animals could run away, plants could not) she asked Manwë what could be done. Manwë remembered that their Songs had ideas of their own in them, for all that they were harmonious with Iluvatar's. Thus two new races were born: the Ents, and the Eagles.

We meet the Ents in the Lord of the Rings, and they're fairly well known. "Ent the earthborn, old as mountains" sums them up nicely.

Eagles are known as the deus ex machina of Tolkien's works...and they are. But they do so symbolically. The Lord of the Rings is a Christian work: Tolkien said so himself. So the Eagles, which are the servants and messengers of Manwë (Elder King, remember him?) serve a symbolic purpose. When the people of Middle-earth are doing all they can to rid the evil from the world, they are provided assistance, a form of grace, if you will.

The Eagles aren't the only help sent by the Valar, however. We've touched on this already, but the next race to talk about are the Wizards.

_Commissioned to Middle-earth (a.k.a. the Hither Lands; now you'll know what I'm talking about if I randomly spring off into 'Silmarillion' terms!) by Manwë to aid the Children of Iluvatar in their war on Sauron, the Istari (That's Quenya elvish for "Wise Ones".) were five Maiar (Remember them? The lesser, "angelic" Ainur, a step below the Valar themselves). They came from over the Great Sea at various intervals throughout the beginning of the Third Age. Just who were these Wizards? Two of them you definitely know._

_Our favourite Istar, and the one we're most familiar with, is none other than Gandalf himself. His original name was Olórin. He is said to be the only Wizard who truly stuck to his task of supporting the Eruhini (Sindarin for "Children of Iluvatar") in their battle against the Darkness. You see, the Istari were forbidden from using great displays of power to fight Sauron or to convince people to join their cause; they were also forbidden to seek to rule over Middle-earth. They were to be aides and guides, nothing more._

_Saruman, the other Wizard we know, was one of the Istari who certainly turned aside from his task. Anybody who's seen Peter Jackson's movie trilogy knows that he was persuaded by Sauron at first to ally himself with Mordor, but later decided to "strike out on his own" and attempt to capture the Ring. As for the other three Wizards, one you may know, two you may not._

_Radagast the Brown features in The Fellowship of the Ring as written, though he was neglected from the movies. (Don't even get me started on that! He is, however, going to appear in the first Hobbit movie in December.) Known as a lover of all beast and birds, he was sent by none other than Yavanna. He was in her service, and his name in Valinor, Aiwendil, means just that, "lover of birds." He did not turn to evil, but instead became enamoured of nature and failed to act much against Sauron. Randomly, his dwelling was called Rhosgobel, and it was located just southwest of Mirkwood._

_The two remaining wizards, called the "Blue Wizards" ("Ithryn Luin" for you language nerds- or is that just me...?) went off into the lands far in the East of Middle-earth and were never heard from again. They could have started cults in the East, or more likely, attempted to stop eastern nations from joining with Sauron- and had some success, for a few years. Their names were Alatar and Pallando, and they were probably sent by the Vala Oromë, a lover of the eastern lands. (Dang, that was a lot of "east"!)_

The wizards' 'magic' is simply the innate power of a Maia, though bound by the forms they took, and the instructions they were under. Even if they had been able to match might for might against Sauron, it probably wouldn't have done much good: Sauron is stated to be among the most powerful of the Maiar, if not the most powerful. And it would be fairly destructive. The last time the Ainur actually fought one another, at the end of the First Age when Morgoth was overthrown, Beleriand, a landmass larger than Eriador, was destroyed.

Interestingly enough, 'wizard' is the meaning of the Adûnaic (Númenórean) term 'Zigûr', which was the name Sauron went by in Númenor. I have to wonder if that was done on purpose, and if anyone figured that out. *starts kicking the plot bunny on her ankle*

Changing subjects in an attempt to convince this plot bunny to leave me alone, wizards were not the only Maiar in Middle-earth during the Third Age: Balrogs were as well. Balrogs are fallen Maiar, who chose to follow Morgoth before the First Age.

There are only three who managed to kill them, who weren't among the Maiar that followed Eönwë during the War of Wrath, that is. Glorfindel (yes, the Glorfindel from the book, who actually saved Frodo from the Nazgûl) and Ecthelion did so at Gondolin, which is a name you should recognize if you've read The Hobbit. (Glamdring, Orcrist, and Sting were forged there.) Gandalf, of course, in Moria, is the third who manages to kill a Balrog.

And they all die doing so. Yes, Gandalf did die, though he was sent back, apparently by Ilúvatar himself. What precisely that means has been interpreted several different ways. Glorfindel also was reborn, although in more 'natural' ways. Elves are bound to Arda as long as it lasts, and when they die, their fëar travel to the halls of Mandos in Valinor, where eventually they are reborn. Glorfindel is unique in the fact that he returned to Middle-earth.

But going back to Balrogs, these creatures are demons of fire. They, along with the great dragons, are probably the creatures you would want to meet the least in Middle-earth. Some (like me) also think that the greatest of the dragons, Glaurung and Ancalagon, were also Maiar. Glaurung is the dragon we see the most of, well, tied with Smaug, that is. Glaurung was wingless, and killed quite a few important people, destroyed an elven realm, and successfully carried out a curse Morgoth laid before being killed by Túrin. Ancalagon is actually briefly mentioned in LotR, in a short little aside that not even his fire was hot enough to destroy the Ring. The first winged dragon, he was seen during the War of Wrath, as Morgoth's last ditch effort to turn the tide of the war. He was slain in aerial combat by Eärendil.

But as fearsome as these creatures were, they were not what your everyday warrior was going to encounter often. The main bulk of the Enemy's forces were Orcs and Trolls.

_The Orcs are, by far, Tolkien's most famous evil creatures. Negligent of nature, cruel to their comrades, and slaves to their superiors, the Orcs are, to quote Saruman in the Fellowship movie, "a ruined and terrible form of life." Their very conception was an abomination of everything good in Middle-earth. Crafted by Morgoth by "torturing and mutilating" some of the early elves who strayed from their original home in Middle-earth, their creation is universally regarded as the Enemy's foulest act._

_We've recently covered the story of the Dwarves' origins, so you're bound to remember that Aulë the smith's new creatures only had life on their own when it was granted by Ilúvatar, and even more importantly that the Vala's actions were in flattering imitation of Ilúvatar's. Let's just say that Morgoth's intentions and their results were the polar opposite of Aulë's. The smith's desire to bring to life things of his own creation, as friends and pupils, mirrored his own making by Ilúvatar, and, albeit naïvely, sought to bring more goodness into the world. Not so with Morgoth, whose creatures were made to be slaves; not granted a life of their own, the Orcs, though capable of acting outside their master's will, were completely bound to him and his dark purposes since the moment of conception. The Orcs were a mockery and a morbid parody of the beauty Ilúvatar's Firstborn, the Elves, gave the world._

_Who were the Orcs, though? In short, trouble in a basket- or a net, so involuntarily did evil come to them. A common trait of all Orcs is a discord and lack of unity amongst themselves. Their own lack of harmony many times (See The Two Towers Book III, chapter III and The Return of the King Book VI chapter I for two well-known examples!) is detrimental to their masters' causes. (I say "masters" because the descendants of the first Orcs served Sauron in the same fashion their ancestors served Morgoth. At any rate, the cause was much the same: general death, destruction, and basically abolition of all things good.) In case you're curious, after much debate and conflict on the matter, Tolkien determined that Orcs don't have souls._

Trolls are much the same, except from uncertain breeding. Treebeard mentions in The Lord of the Rings that Trolls are made in the mockery of Ents. No matter where they came from, they are tremendously strong, if much dumber than Orcs.

The last two races we want to touch on are Werewolves and Vampires. Yes, they do exist in Tolkien's world, even if they seem to be extinct or close to it by the Third Age. Creations of Morgoth, they never seem to gain large population numbers. My advice would be to use them sparingly–if at all–in your writing, and to read The Silmarillion to understand how to write them. Understanding the context around these two races would be extremely important.

Well, that's all for this chapter. I'm putting the Index as part of this chapter, as it's quite short this time around.

**Character Index for chapter 6:**

_Alatar- one of the Blue Wizards; disappeared into the East after his arrival on Middle-earth_

Ancalagon- Looks like I got the Dragons. The first winged dragon, mentioned breifly in The Lord of the Rings. It can be assumed that he had the hottest fire of any dragon, as well as the father of the winged variety. He doesn't stay around long, he shows up in The Silmarillion and is killed pretty quickly by Eärendil, a deed for which Eärendil is renownd.

_Ecthelion- in the ancient realm of Gondolin, Lord of the Fountains and one-time Warden of the Gates; slew the chief of the Balrogs: Gothmog_

Glaurung- The first Dragon, caused considerable havoc in the first age before killed by Turin. Called the father of all Dragons.

_Glorfindel- yet another guy from Gondolin! He's the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower (and basically superhero material), slew a Balrog, died, and came back from the Halls of Mandos to Middle-earth, where he wielded great power against the Nazgûl. (As Skye mentioned, for the record, _he_ met Frodo before the crossing of Bruinen!)_

Gwaihir- His name means 'wind lord' and that's what he is. One of the Great Eagles, he's the one who carried Gandalf around alot in The Lord of the Rings.

_Pallando- Blue Wizard and Alatar's close friend; went M.I.A. after coming to the Hither Lands_

Radagast- The Brown Wizard, he was a Maia of Yavanna who had a great affinity for birds and other animals. He didn't exactly fail in his task, but more ignored it, focusing more on the wildlife than opposing Sauron.

_Saruman- the White Wizard and head of the White Council; once a Maia of Aulë called Curumo; fell into evil late in the Third Age thanks to a certain Ring's allure_

Smaug- Dragon, and main antagonist of The Hobbit. He's my favorite character of that book, actually…I've always felt there should have been dragons in The Lord of the Rings.

_Treebeard- the first Ent and, at the time of LotR, the oldest living being in the Hither Lands; speaks veeeerrrrrryyyy sloooowwwwllyyy, his self-proclaimed motto being, "Don't be hasty."; has seven toes, for your information_

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><p><strong>Well, that's all for this chapter. Hopefully the next one will be up soon!<strong>


	7. Information Location

**Well, two weeks isn't bad. ;)**

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><p>Information Location<p>

So, we've given you a lot of information in the last six chapters. You may be asking, 'where are they getting all this?' Well, that's what this chapter is about. The main works in the canon, and what they are about. In order, we'll be talking about The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, and The History of Middle-earth series.

_The Hobbit was Tolkien's first published work concerning his mythology, though it started off as a simple children's story. It just grew and grew, until the allusions to the Professor's private "legendarium" made it truly a staple of Middle-earth canon. The Hobbit is the first glimpse many (including yours truly!) receive of Arda, since it's geared toward such a younger audience than are Tolkien's other works. While it won't be divulging many Middle-earth doctrines or helping one obtain a massive historic or linguistic lesson, this classic book- published long before LotR was conceived- is a magnificently fun read that will introduce a new reader well to Tolkien's world._

Like Crackers, The Hobbit was my first introduction to Tolkien's world, which I read about age eight. I actually didn't like it. It wasn't until I was bored, out of books to read, and spotted the Lord of the Rings when I was ten that I fell in love. Probably the best known of Tolkien's works, thanks to the movies, I read it over and over, until I could quote half the poems, and random sections of the text. My mom decided that I was obsessing over it just a bit too much, and took it and hid it. Unfortunately, she did so a bit too well, and it was *lost* until I was about 16. T_T Anyway, we eventually found it again, and I re-read it and fell in love all over again.

While the main story should be known to everyone in this fandom (I hope! I mean...*really*) I know that a lot of people here have just seen the movies. I'm actually almost alright with that, as long as it was the extended editions. I would say, read the books anyway, but these movies are the most accurate 'based on the book' movies I've ever seen. Just do me a favor and don't try to write Faramir unless you've read the book. The movie slaughters his character. And there were no Elves at Helm's Deep.

*cough*

Moving on from that, the books do have one very large advantage for anyone trying to write a fanfic. It's called the Appendixes. It's all there. Chronologies for the Second and Third Ages, Aragorn's full genealogy, the line of the Stewards of Gondor, the line of the Kings of the Mark, Hobbit family trees, the whole nine yards. It also has bits and pieces of the story that couldn't fit anywhere else, like the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen. There's also information about the calendars used, notes on the languages, including a pronunciation guide (My second favorite. My favorite guide is in the Tale of the Children of Húrin,) as well as information on who would have spoken what languages. Keep in mind that Tolkien's was a linguist, languages were very important to him.

To all of you who have already read the Lord of the Rings, I would suggest that if you end up reading anything else in the canon–especially the Silmarillion–that you re-read it after you do. A lot of things make more sense if you know the legends behind them. Like Bilbo's ridiculously long poem about Eärendil. It's a lot more amusing if you know who Eärendil is.

_Or a lot more sickening...! Sorry- I'll try my utmost not to go off on any tangents concerning my personal convictions as regarding our next book to add to your "Must Read" list: The Silmarillion. (I'll probably be referring to it as "the Silm" most often, seeing as that's a considerable amount briefer!) I love the Silm to bits, though I know myself and others who feel thus might be a bit of a minority even in circles familiar with Tolkien's work._

_Basically the story of three main events in the First Age of Arda (those being the Creation of the world via the Music of Ilúvatar, the coming of the Elves and their time in Valinor, and the departure of the Noldor from said Undying Lands to Middle-earth and the war they waged on Morgoth in the Hither Lands), we've hinted, winked, and nodded at it throughout this whole little guide so far. We love the Silm, though not everyone feels that way._

_Now, why on earth wouldn't someone be as fascinated by the historical background as we are? The answer is simple: the Silm's a tough read, especially the first time through. There are quite literally dozens of brand-new names and characters, the language is very archaic, and the style is very different from that of The Hobbit and LotR. As long as you remember, though, that the Silm is a beautiful, panoramic history, not a novel, these traits will only add to your enjoyment of this amazing book._

One trick I've heard of for those struggling with getting though this book is to read it backwards. The very end covers the same material as LotR, and can prepare you for the style of the Sil. The beginning is easily the hardest to get through, it took me two or three tries to get through the Ainulindalë and the Valaquenta, and even then it was hard to keep everything straight until I found some very good fanfic on the Valar. Once you get into the Quenta Silmarillion, the stories become easier to follow, and a lot more interesting.

So, what's in this work? Along with what Crackers already mentioned, which I'll let her expound on, the Second and Third Ages have their own little sections. Emphasis on little. The Akallabêth, or the Downfall of Númenor, is only about thirty pages, and Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age is only about twenty.

The Akallabêth deals with Númenor: of its founding by Elrond's twin brother Elros, its rise to the most powerful nation in Middle-earth, to its destruction by the pride of its people and its king. Destroyed by pride and one brilliant little plot on the part of Sauron that is... Moral of the story, never listen to Sauron. Its a really, really bad idea. Especially if it involves Rings, or worshiping Melkor and attacking the Valar to win immortality.

Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age is pretty much self explanatory. It deals with the forging of the Rings in Eregion, and everything that happened because of that. It has some interesting little tidbits that aren't in LotR, and provides some wonderful context for why the events of LotR played out the way they did.

_But you wouldn't have any LotR, any Númenor, any Rings of Power, or any Downfall if not for the beginning of the story. The Silm is broken down into five parts: Ainulindalë (the Music of the Ainur), Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion (History of the Silmarils), and the aforementioned Akallabêth and "Of the Rings of Power". The book begins with Ainulindalë, a dramatic account of how Arda was literally sung into existence by Eru and His angelic servants, the Ainur. This music consists of three themes, each telling a part of the history of the world, and letting each Ainu be creative within it. Melkor {later known as Morgoth}, however, was discontent with Eru's plan and began to incorporate ideas separate from Eru's plan- expressed in a dissonant harmony. Melkor appears to accept Eru's rebuke, though, even venturing to make the journey to this newly-formed land after Eru gives it existence with the word, "Eä," or "let these things be," in order to prepare it for Eru's children Elves and Men, who have been the subjects of the Music._

_The next section, the Valaquenta, is not narrative but essentially a "who's who" of the Ainur that descended to Middle-earth. It tells of the fourteen Valar, various important Maiar, along with Melkor and his servants; it's quite similar to our brilliant indexes in this guide, if you think about it, or if you look at it from over here, squint one eye, and close the other, of course..._

_Quenta Silmarillion is the meat of the book, with twenty-four chapters and literally dozens of characters, events, and settings to keep track of. I'll give it to you briefly: We read about the Valar's entry into the world and their shaping of it, along with Melkor's treachery which ruins much of their work and eventually causes them to flee to the land of Valinor, where Yavanna creates the Two Trees. Shortly thereafter, the Elves awaken far in the East of Middle-earth, and (for the most part) journey to the land of the Valar at Oromë's summons. The Valar have rid the Hither Lands of Melkor, locking him away for three Ages while the elves live in bliss and beauty. During this time, the Silmarils are made by Feanor, greatest of the Noldor- remember that tidbit! Melkor is released and stirs up general unrest and dissent among the Noldor; he eventually recruits Ungoliant (a.k.a. Shelob's big, fat momma) to aid him against the Valar, and the two destroy the Trees, steal the Silmarils, and kill the king of the Noldor, Feanor's father._

_To make a massive understatement, Feanor flips out and leads 90% of the Noldor back to Middle-earth to make war on Melkor –whom he's kindly re-christened Morgoth, "the Black Foe," by the way. I won't give anything away (and I'd be here all day if I tried to tell you everything!), but the rest of the Quenta tells the story of this war, recording the coming of Mankind, many a bloody battle, and making famous such heroes as Beren, Luthien, and Turin._

The Silmarillion was not published until after J.R.R. Tolkien's death, because he never stopped working on the stories contained within. Some of this work was unfinished, or didn't quite fit with the rest, and so was not included. Christopher Tolkien, JRR's son and literary executor, decided to publish these works, and the result was The Unfinished Tales.

Broken up into Ages, the first section has the story of Tuor, as he journeys to Gondolin. The only re-write of The Fall of Gondolin, which was the first thing Tolkien wrote that can be considered part of the legendarium, it sadly breaks off, leaving the reader wanting more. Also included is the Tale of the Children of Húrin, though this was later published as a separate volume.

The next section has three subsections on Númenor. This work has the only map of Númenor, as well as a physical description of it. It also lays out the line of Kings, from Elros to Ar-Pharazôn. There is also the tale of Aldarion and Erendis, the only story of its kind to come from Númenor. There is also the story of the Disaster of the Gladden Fields, which focuses on what exactly happened when Isildur was ambushed and slain.

The most confusing bit of this section, though, is the section on Galadriel and Celeborn. This story is the one that seems to have given Tolkien the most grief, as it changes over and over again. Fanon has picked which version of the story it likes best, but this gives a very interesting view of what could have been, as well as the way the stories evolved over time.

The third section contains the story of Cirion and Eorl, and how the Riddermark came to be, as well as a section on the Quest of Erebor, told from Gandalf's point of view. There is also the Hunt for the Ring, which contains what was going on before Frodo left the Shire, and Sauron's hunt for his Ring. Then there is the Battles at the Fords of the Isen, where Théodred son of Théoden meets his end.

Following that, the book turns from narrative to informative, with sections with information on the Drúedain, the Istari, and the Palantiri. The last two, especially, are useful to fanfic writers like ourselves.

_Unfinished Tales is simply stuffed with information on Middle-earth, its history, and its inhabitants, but believe it or not, even one of the "finished" tales within it is not fully published in the book. You heard Skye mention above "The Tale of the Children of Húrin" and how it's published in a separate form, and that's our next important Tolkien book. In its own prefacing pages, The Children of Húrin is declared to be an easy introduction to the legends of the First Age for readers of LotR who want to learn more._

_Written much more closely to novel format than its origins in The Silmarillion, the complete Tale found separate from the scattered gapfillers in Unfinished Tales is an excellent way to first dive into the mythology behind LotR. It tells the tragedy resulting from a curse placed upon Húrin, a renowned warrior among mortal Men, and his family by Morgoth when Húrin refused to give the Dark Lord the information he desired. I definitely don't want to ruin it for you, so I'll end only with the recommendation that you keep a box of tissues on hand when you pick this one up!_

She's serious about those tissues. It's definitely a tragic work. Well, that completes the works by J.R.R. Tolkien that are set in Arda. But what if reading this has sparked a hitherto unfulfilled obsession with everything related to Middle-earth?

The History of Middle-earth series is not for the casual fan. Written by Christopher Tolkien, son and literary executor of J.R.R. Tolkien, this twelve volume series traces the evolution of the stories in the legendarium. The original ideas coming out of the later half of the nineteen-teens, all the way to the revision and additions just before his death are contained therein. It's not the easiest thing to read, (think of them as textbooks, and you'll do better) but have fascinating little tidbits that are contained nowhere else. For instance, the Akallabêth was apparently written by Elendil, the Elves were almost called Gnomes, and Gondor was almost Ondor.

Well, that sums up where we got the information we've been presenting in the previous chapters. We hope this has inspired you to pick up another of Tolkien's wonderful works, and join us again in Arda!


	8. Language, Language, Language

Languages of Arda

_At long last, we come to the chapter that would undoubtedly matter most to the man who started it all: a discussion of the languages created by J.R.R. Tolkien and used in his legendarium. Hey! I saw that arrow move toward the "Back" button as soon as you read those words; stick around, and I promise any writing you do in this fandom will improve as a reward._

_Language is the backbone of Tolkien's mythos. Contrary to most fantasy authors, the languages both spoken and providing the nomenclature of his universe were conceived before the stories they belonged to. It was only after he had developed the linguistics that he began to form an alternate history for them to complement. You can't even read and truly appreciate LotR, The Hobbit, and especially not The Silmarillion, without an understanding of the languages behind them- much less write fanfic about them attempting to make use of these languages._

_To introduce our first two of those tongues, Tolkien puts it better than I can in a 1951 letter to a gentleman by the name of Milton Waldman: "But to [the Elves] are assigned two related languages... whose forms are deduced from a common origin. Out of these languages are made nearly all the names that appear in my legends. This gives a certain character (a cohesion, a consistency of linguistic style, and an illusion of historicity) to the nomenclature, or so I believe, that is markedly lacking in other comparable things." There you have it, folks, right from the horse's- or the Great Professor's- mouth. Just what were these two primary languages, though? By their fair names, Quenya and Sindarin._

Both Quenya and Sindarin share linguistic roots: they are offshoots of original language of the Elves. The languages split along with the Elves. Tolkien described Quenya as 'Elf-Latin'. It is the language spoken by the Elves of the Blessed Realm, and was brought back to Middle-earth by Exiled Noldor. Enriched and shaped by Valarin, the language of the Valar, it is a beautiful and complicated language.

Not all of the Elves travelled the the Blessed Realm. The language of those who stayed behind evolved into Sindarin, the language of the Elven realm of Doriath. Sindarin was easier to learn than Quenya, so when the Noldor returned to Middle-earth, they began to use it in their dealing with the Sindar (so named for the language they spoke) rather than Quenya. When Elu Thingol, King of Doriath, learned of the circumstances under which the Noldor had left Valinor, he forbade the use of Quenya, leading to its decline.

A word of caution to those who will wish to add elvish to their stories. Much of the elvish online isn't really either Sindarin or Quenya, but something that's been dubbed 'grelvish'. Be careful with your use, and if you're in doubt, find someone who's spent a good amount of time studying the languages. I would also suggest not using elvish in your title or your summary, and to use it sparingly within your fic. A clumsy mistake will probably turn off those who have studied these languages, and someone who spends enough time reading good fanfic will come to know at least the look of the languages and if they are correct or not.

_However, there are still plenty of great resources out there for those of you still wanting to put Quenya and Sindarin to work in your fanfics: especially when it comes to the all-important area of names. We'll talk more about OCs in a later chapter, so hold your horses! I'm not about to chase that rabbit now, but what I'm meaning to say is that giving original characters- especially elves or Númenóreans- authentic elvish names is critical to any story featuring them. There are lots of ways to go about this, from name indexes online (my personal recommendation being the accurate and user-friendly one on ) to doing it the "old-fashioned" way with the linguistic guides/ appendices to The Silmarillion and The Lost Road (which is Volume 5 of the Histories of Middle-earth series)._

_"But what if I won't need to use Quenya or Sindarin for my fanfic? Didn't Tolkien invent a language for all of his Races?" you ask? Well, I'm sorry to say you may not be quite as lucky as those interested in Quenya and Sindarin._

_Before we move on to the other Races entirely, there's a "breed" of elvish that fits into this "somewhat underdeveloped" category: the Silvan dialect spoken by the Wood-elves of Lothlórien and Mirkwood. Though in Peter Jackson's movies, Legolas and Haldir use Sindarin (which they may very well have known), their native tongue would be this strain of the elvish language. Like many of Tolkien's other languages, disappointingly little is known of it._

Adûnaic is one of those underdeveloped languages, but it does have the distinction of being created all at once, which means it doesn't contradict itself like many of Tolkien's languages. If you are able to understand linguistics (I don't), or are willing to figure it out, Volume Nine of the History of Middle-earth series (Sauron Defeated) has the only known work on Adûnaic.

Along with Adûnaic, there is Rohirric, Westron, Khuzdul (Dwarvish), Valarin, Entish and Black Speech. Most of these languages just have words in them, with the curious exception of Rohirric. In Tolkien's mythos he translated Rohirric into Old English, so if you need Rohirric names, or any phrases in the language, just use Anglo-Saxon. It makes Rohirric the easiest language to use when adding additional languages to your work.

_Westron is just Tolkien's term for the "Common Tongue" of Middle-earth; it's the reason why it works out in LotR for characters of so many diverse Races to communicate with one another. If we're going off of Tolkien's "myth of translation," meaning that he got a copy of Frodo and Bilbo's "Red Book of Westmarch," Westron is always represented by English (or whatever language your copy is in), so- good news for you- there's really no need for it in your fic._

_Khuzdul is the secret tongue of the Dwarves, created by Aulë the smith himself. We see little of it, with Tolkien's restricting the use of it to but a few place names and one phrase from Gimli. In-universe, it's rarely taught to anyone not a Dwarf, both because the Dwarves enjoy its being clandestine and because it's said to be very difficult. The most important word we know in it is Khazâd, the Dwarves' name for themselves._

Speaking of incomprehensible languages, add Valarin to your list. The language of the Valar and the Maiar, it was apparently so difficult that even the Elvish lore masters didn't bother to learn it. Plus there was the fact that the Ainur are really good with languages and picked up Quenya really quickly. A few words are known, but the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom in Valinor, where the Valar sit in council.

Entish is yet another language for the list: it's so difficult that the one line of it in The Lord of the Rings is said to be a poor phonetic spelling of what Pippin heard. The Ents are the only ones who apparently hear the tonal differences, and the only ones with enough patience to speak it!

Last but not least, we come to Black Speech. Invented by Sauron as a language all of his forces could use, it...didn't quite catch on. The most famous example of it would be the fire-letters on the Ring, which Gandalf reads out loud in Rivendell. Just the sound of it made Frodo feel like the sun was darkened, and all the Elves stopped their ears.

_Well folks, that wasn't too terribly scary, was it? This is really a very intriguing topic, though, it can certainly put a damper on your fanfic if it's misused- or if you let it freak you out too much. I'll finish up by recommending once again the wonderful elvish resource on councilofelrond; if you're interested in the little that is known of Tolkien's other languages, the only online source I feel confident pointing you to is Ardalambion ("Of the Tongues of Arda"). The webmaster is a dedicated Tolkien fan who only gives information found in the Professor's writings, and he's not going to give you any fan-made mumbo-jumbo. Don't be scared of language, use your resources, and let your Tolkien-approved stories take wing!_


	9. The Physical World of Arda

Places of Arda

And now we come to Crackers' pet subject, the wonderful world of Geography. OK, I'm joking just a bit. But we are talking about Geography, and no hitting the back button! This is important stuff, people, and we'll do our best to make it interesting. This is *us* after all!

_And that's a fact that ought to comfort you, right? Right? But anyway, yes, I do love me some geography- especially when it's accurate geography! Fortunately, our remarkable fandom's equally remarkable creator definitely went easy on us when it came to that part of his world. He took the time and effort to make- even while he was in the process of writing!- detailed maps of the four main settings of his works: Middle-earth, Wilderland (close up of the realm of Rhovanion), Númenor, and Beleriand. These have been published in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Unfinished Tales, and The Silmarillion respectively, and are really the best resources out there as pertains to the geography of Tolkien's stories._

So now we come to the most fun–and the most often overlooked–part of writing: research. Really, any good writer does a lot of research for things that occur in their worlds. My creative writing professor says that asking an expert is the best way to go about this. While this may be a bit difficult for us, there are ways to go about it.

First off, Middle-earth is a medieval type world. So if you google information on, say, medieval weapons, or armor, you should get a fairly good idea how to make those things realistic. If you need other information, there are resources here at FFn that can help as well. Beyond our own forum, where we'll answer any questions you have, there is also one called Ask An Expert, where people in the fandom who have expert knowledge in different subjects can answer questions you might have. Travel Routes and Times in Middle-earth by Horseback by Sulriel is a website that has a beautiful chart of times it would take to travel different places in Middle-earth.

_There are also many good published resources as pertaining to the layout of Tolkien's universe. One of the most popular of these, The Atlas of Middle-earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad, I have (tragically) not yet gotten a chance to read, but I've read that it reproduces many of Tolkien's maps and provides descriptions of the locations they depict. It sounds very similar to a book I actually did read, though, (*quite* creatively entitled) "The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth. (The author is Brian Sibley; the illustrator is John Howe.) I would really recommend it as a quick guide to places from all four Ages of Arda- and not *only* because it comes with four gorgeous 28"x28" representations of the maps it discusses!_

My suggestion would be, if you don't already have it, go out and get a copy of The Lord of the Rings (Amazon prices start at $5), or borrow it from your local library. First off, it's an amazing book. Second, the resources contained in the appendices are invaluable for any fanfic writer, from the maps, to the Hobbit family trees, to the Tale of Years, which tells you what's going on when, and what else is going on at the same time. It also contains notes on the languages, as well as little tidbits that aren't found in the actual novel: like the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen. Or why the Stewards were ruling Gondor, and what happened to Celebrían, Elrond's wife.

If you don't have the books, but have the Special Extended DVD Edition, they also include maps to look at. Random movie trivia: PJ realized that the geography involved with the battles of the Ring War were so important that he added that scene where Faramir is going over that map simply to show the viewer what was going on! If nothing else, you can always google 'Maps of Middle-earth' and use the ones that come up, though you can never be 100% certain of their accuracy.

_That's exactly right! And once you sit down with your big, fancy map, you'll notice something: that bugger is *thorough*! You'll notice a lot of places scarcely even playing a part in LotR, which is why you might want to get your hands on one of those guides or atlases we've mentioned- and also why you should have no reason to invent a location in Middle-earth as a setting for your story. Tolkien gave us so many locations in his world (both featured in LotR and barely mentioned outside the maps) that there are ample locations to put your original plots and characters._

_It may feel like unnecessary extra work to research an intriguing place you spot on the map, and, depending on the location, you may find very little about it. However, I'll let you in on a secret: that's where you get to put to work the creativity you would have used to invent a realm of your own. You'll be using that imagination of yours, yet still writing a totally legitimate story set in Middle-earth._

Which is, as you may have figured out, the whole point of this fic, at least for us: to help you set your plots and storylines more fully in the world we both love so much. So do a bit of research before you pick up the pen, or start typing, and see where in the world of Middle-earth your imagination can take you.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit short this time, but still important. And this might be a record in terms of upload time...<strong>


	10. Who's who in Arda

People of Middle-earth

Here's a master index for the names of those we've mentioned in this guide so far, as well as some other important people that you should know. If you have more questions on them, feel free to contact us, or just google the names. That works too. ;)

Anárion–Second son of Elendil.

_Alatar- one of the Blue Wizards; disappeared into the East after his arrival on Middle-earth_

Amrothos–Youngest son and third child of Prince Imrahil. Cousin to Boromir and Faramir.

_Ancalagon- _Looks like I got the Dragons. The first winged dragon, mentioned breifly in The Lord of the Rings. It can be assumed that he had the hottest fire of any dragon, as well as the father of the winged variety. He doesn't stay around long, he shows up in The Silmarillion and is killed pretty quickly by Eärendil, a deed for which Eärendil is renowned.

Aragorn- _You should know him, Elendil's heir, the king that returns. He's the chief of the Dúnedain and knows Wilderland (a.k.a. Rhovanion) like nobody's business. He marries Arwen, as you doubtless know, and has a son named Eldarion, along with a few unnamed daughters._

Ar-Pharazôn–Last king of Númenor, decided in his pride that he should be the strongest king of the mortal lands, and decided to subjugate Sauron. Did so, but took Sauron back to Númenor, where he rose in favor, and ended up convincing Ar-Pharazôn to attack the blessed realm, which ended in the total destruction of Númenor. Smart guy. Really.

Arwen–Daughter of Lord Elrond, said to look like her foremother Luthien comeback to Middle-earth...and Luthien was the most beautiful child of Ilúvatar *ever* so that's saying something. Peredhel, she chose mortality, and followed her husband Aragorn beyond the circles of Arda.

Aulë- _the Vala of all crafts and learning. His spouse is Yavanna, and, believe it or not, he spends a lot of time with the Noldor, who happen to be fond of those very things._

Bard–Bard the Bowman! Killed Smaug in the Hobbit.

Beorn–Skin-changer, he can turn into a big black bear. Also a character in the Hobbit.

Beren- _total JERK! _Crackers, no. She doesn't like him because he hurt her favorite elf. Ignore her. The son of Barahir, he married Luthien, and really managed to annoy Morgoth. _And me!_ *sigh*

_Celeborn- *rolls eyes* Galadriel's husband; Tolkien himself was unsure of this guy's background, but in the published Silmarillion we learn that the two met in the First Age kingdom of Doriath, where he was kin to the king He's the Lord of Lórien and father-in-law of Elrond. *Yay._

Celebrian–Daughter and only child of Celeborn and Galadriel. Wife of Elrond and mother of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen. Sails to Valinor about 500 years before the book due to being tortured by Orcs.

_Celebrimbor- talented smith and maker of the three elven Rings of Power; his father was Curufin son of Fëanor. Just as he was among the first to be deceived by Sauron at the time, he was also the first to recognize Sauron's betrayal. After being tortured to death by Sauron, his corpse was hung from a flagpole. Yeah._

Denethor–Steward of Gondor at the time of LotR. Again, you should know him.

Dior- _Why do I get stuck with all of the First Age characters I hate? Anyway, Dior's Beren and Luthien's half-elven son. He takes up his grandfather Thingol's realm after Thingol meets his *cough*hardly untimely*cough* doom._ She just hates him because he killed her favorite elf. In Dior's defense, he was attacked, and died too. Crackers is just biased. ;)

Eärendil–Son of Tuor and Idril, he convinced the Valar that they should come to the aid of those in Middle-earth and stop Morgoth, which lead to Morgoth being consigned to the Void, where he will remain until the end of Arda. Eärendil was married to Elwing, and they had twin sons, Elros and Elrond.

_Ecthelion- in the ancient realm of Gondolin, Lord of the Fountains and one-time Warden of the Gates; slew the chief of the Balrogs: Gothmog._

Elendil–Founder and first High King of Gondor and Arnor. Killed in the War of the Last Alliance by Sauron.

_Elladan- one of Elrond's identical twin sons; warrior and comrade of both Aragorn and his father; comes with his brother and many Dúnedain to Aragorn's aid at the Paths of the Dead._

Elphir–Oldest son of Prince Imrahil, and follows him as Prince of Dol Amroth. Cousin of Boromir and Faramir.

_Elrohir- see Elladan: the two minor characters are very similar. As a note, they remain in Middle-earth after the passing of the Three Rings and are given a choice between mortal and elvish lifespans due to their half-elven nature. _

Elrond- _You know him, though you may not know his history- yet! For now, I'll suffice to say that he's the wise, half-elven lord of Rivendell. He's much kinder than the movies sometimes make him out to be._ Yeah, the movie-verse line "Men are weak," makes me laugh every time, because he's related to some of the strongest men of the First Age. One of whom defied Morgoth for *40 years*. He's also the son of Eärendil and Elwing, and the husband of Celebrían, who is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, and is the father of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen. He's Eärendil's son, and also the only character to appear in the Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit.

Elros–Elrond's twin brother. He chose Mortality at the end of the First Age, and was the first king of Númenor. Aragorn is descended from him.

Elwë–Also known as Elu Thingol, he was king of the Sindar of Beleriand. Married to Melian the Maia, his daughter was Luthien. He died when a group of Dwarves double-crossed him.

Elwing–Daughter of Dior, granddaughter of Beren and Luthien, she married Eärendil, and was the mother of Elros and Elrond. There's a lot more to her story, but we'll have to explain the Silmarils first.

Erchirion–Second son and child of Prince Imrahil. Cousin to Boromir and Faramir.

_Erestor- counselor of Elrond; Despite his popularity in fanon, he is nothing more than a bit character. Nothing is known of his background or origins._

Estë–Lady of Rest and Healing, she is the spouse of Irmo.

Faramir–Second son of Denethor. You should know him too…

_Fëanor- Oh, yeah! He's one of the two most powerful elves to walk the face of Arda. Maker of the Silmarils and mover of the Noldor to exile in Middle-earth, he was known for his "spirit of fire" (which is, coincidentally, the meaning of his name). _

Finduilas–The name of two characters, one is an elven maiden who is infactuated with Turin, and the other is wife of Denethor, mother of Boromir and Faramir, and the sister to Prince Imrahil.

Galadriel–Born in Valinor, she returned to Middle-earth with others of the Noldor before the beginning of the First Age. Her father, known as Finarfin in Middle-earth, remained in Valinor, and became High King of the Noldor in Aman. She lived for a long time in Doriath, and was friendly with Melian, its Maiarin Queen. She married Celeborn, a Sindarin prince, and they had Celebrían, who married Elrond.

Gil-galad–"Gil-galad was an elven king/of him the harpers sadly sing/the last who's realm was fair and free/between the mountains and the sea." Last high-king of the Noldor in Middle-earth, died in the War of the Last Alliance fighting Sauron.

_Glaurung- _The first Dragon, caused considerable havoc in the first age before killed by Turin. Called the father of all Dragons.

_Glorfindel- yet another guy from Gondolin! He's the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower (and basically superhero material), slew a Balrog, died, and came back from the Halls of Mandos to Middle-earth, where he wielded great power against the Nazgûl. (As Skye mentioned, for the record, _he _met Frodo before the crossing of Bruinen!) _

_Gwaihir- _His name means 'wind lord' and that's what he is. One of the Great Eagles, he's the one who carried Gandalf around a lot in The Lord of the Rings.

Haldir–A marchwarden of Lothlorien, protects and shelters the Fellowship in the book, is rather dismissive of them and dies at Helm's Deep in the movie.

Idril–A princess of the Noldor, she married Tuor, a mortal. Their son was Eärendil.

Ilúvatar- _simply put? God. He created Arda, along with everyone and everything in it. He composed the music that makes up the fabric of its history and is in complete control._

Imrahil–Prince of Dol Amroth during the Ring War. He also was the brother of Finduilas, wife of Denethor.

Irmo–Vala of dreams. He and his older brother Námo are known as the Fëanturi, the masters of spirits. Estë is his spouse, and Nienna and Námo are his older siblings.

Isildur–Oldest son of Elendil.

Legolas–You should really know him. Prince of the Greenwood, son of Thranduil.

Lothiriel–Youngest child and only daughter of Prince Imrahil. Married Eomer of Rohan.

Luthien–Daughter of Thingol and Melian, she was the most beautiful of the children of Ilúvatar. She fell in love with Beren, a mortal, and after fulfilling an impossible quest they married. Their son was Dior. She was granted permission by Manwë and Ilúvatar to follow Beren beyond the circles of Arda, and so she alone among the Elves has truly died and left the world.

Manwë–The Elder King. Vala of the Air, the great Eagles are his servants. Brother of Melkor, he is responsible for all with in Ea (the universe).

Melian–A Maia who fell in love and married Thingol. Their daughter was Luthien.

Melkor- _He's the Dark Lord to end all Dark Lords, the first big, bad tyrant of Middle-earth. He was nicknamed Morgoth (the Black Enemy) for his evil deeds and ruled in the First Age until he was tossed out into the Void for eternity. (And good riddance!)_

Morwen–Another name with two characters. One is the mother of Turin, the other the wife of Thengel and mother of Theoden.

Námo–My favorite Vala. Yes, all you who know about him already are probably going, 'huh?' I have weird tastes, OK? He's the Doomsman of the Valar. Prescient, he sees all except what lies within the free will granted by Ilúvatar. He's also in charge of the fëa (spirits/souls) of the slain. His demesne is the Halls of Mandos, where the fëar of elves wait to be re-born. Also known as the Judge, he is considered stern and dispassionate. His spouse is Vairë, the Weaver. Nienna is his older sister, and Irmo is his younger brother.

Nessa–A Valië who enjoys dancing. She is the sister of Oromë, and the wife of Tulkas.

Nienna–The Lady of Pity, she weeps for the wounds of the world. She often goes to the Halls of Mandos, and the souls there cry to her, for she teaches compassion and hope in adversity. Older sister of Námo and Irmo, she is unwed.

Olórin–Gandalf. ;)

Olwë–Became King of the Teleri after his brother Elwë went missing.

Oromë–Vala of the hunt, he was the one to find the Elves when they awoke. He escorted them to Valinor. His spouse is Vána, and Nessa is his sister.

_Pallando- Blue Wizard and Alatar's close friend; went M.I.A. after coming to the Hither Lands._

_Radagast- _The Brown Wizard, he was a Maia of Yavanna who had a great affinity for birds and other animals. He didn't exactly fail in his task, but more ignored it, focusing more on the wildlife than opposing Sauron.

_Saruman- the White Wizard and head of the White Council; once a Maia of Aulë called Curumo; fell into evil late in the Third Age thanks to a certain Ring's allure_

Sauron–My favorite Maia. I know, I'm weird. You should all know a good bit about him, but here's some more you may not have known. He first served Aulë, and retained his knowledge and put it to use when he served Morgoth. He was actually smarter than Morgoth, and was able to figure out how to many things Morgoth wanted to do that Morgoth himself couldn't figure out. A tactical genius, it's stated that his biggest mistake in the Ring War was that he didn't figure out where the Shire was fast enough–something he could not have known. He made no mistakes when he overthrew Númenor–Not even the Valar could stop him. It's just rather futile to try and take over the world when Ilúvatar is perfectly willing to stop you. ;)

_Smaug-_ Dragon, and main antagonist of The Hobbit. He's my favorite character of that book, actually…I've always felt there should have been dragons in The Lord of the Rings.

Thengel–Theoden's father, and King of Rohan before him.

Theoden–Another character you should know, King of Rohan during the Ring War. Only son Theodred dies during it, and is succeeded by his nephew Eomer.

_Treebeard- the first Ent and, at the time of LotR, the oldest living being in the Hither Lands; speaks veeeerrrrrryyyy sloooowwwwllyyy, his self-proclaimed motto being, "Don't be hasty."; has seven toes, for your information_

Tulkas–the most warlike of the Valar, he hates Melkor fervently. He is impatient, and gives little thought to past or future. His wife is Nessa.

_Túrin- son of Húrin and star of- you guessed it- "The Children of Húrin," which tells the tragic story of Morgoth's curse on that family. Poor guy, just poor, poor guy..._

Tuor–A Mortal, he married the Noldorin princess Idril. Their son was Eärendil. His family managed to annoy Morgoth quite a bit. But that is yet another story...

Ulmo–Vala of the Seas. Closest in friendship to Men and Elves, and second only to Manwë.

Vairë–The Weaver. History is her domain, which makes her my second favorite Vala. She weaves the history of Arda onto giant tapestries, which hang in the Halls of Mandos. Námo is her spouse.

Valandil–Youngest and only surviving son of Isildur. Aragorn's many great-grandfather.

Vána-_ She's the Valië (that's female Vala.) of flowers. That's all she does, called the Ever-young, she's beautiful, and basically in charge of all things happy and spring-like. She's the spouse of _

_Oromë. _Yavanna is her older sister.

Varda (Elbereth)–Spouse of Manwë, she is the Valië of the Stars. She is the most loved of the Valar by the Elves, who cry to her always. Her Sindarin name means Star-queen.

Yavanna–The Earth queen, she is the spouse of Aulë. Second only to Varda among the Valiër (female Valar), plants and animals are her creations. Vána is her little sister.


	11. Original Characters

Original Characters

_Original Character. Own Character. OC. Self-insert. Mary-Sue. They're terms so frequently thrown around in every category here on FFn, and even the most staunch of purists seem to have at least one of these characters lingering in the back of their minds, just waiting for his or her story to be told. Some archives, like our own beloved LotR, are dominated by these sort of fics- that isn't necessarily a bad thing. OCs can be a brilliant twist on beloved work, providing a unique perspective and an opportunity for their writers to be even more creative in their fanfics._

_However, OCs can often be one of the most dangerous pitfalls when writing in a universe not your own; when plots become overused, characters, both canon and original, flat, these sort of stories can, honestly, become very wearisome. But that's the purpose of this chapter! No, no! Not to become wearisome- or offensive-, rather to give some tips and guidelines on how to create and effectively use a believable OC._

The definition of a Mary-Sue is debated all across the Internet, and no one really has a good definition that everyone agrees on. Some would say almost any OC would be. There are tests online that you can take to see if you character is. It seems almost everyone worries whether or not their character is a Mary-Sue. My personal definition is: any character that is unrealistic in their setting. Unrealistic can take many forms. Too perfect, too whiny, too loved, too hated.

_Just what is it that can make a character seem so unrealistic, though? There are many qualities that could add up to a bad case of Sue-itis, but many specific ones can be grouped together. That said, three general defining traits of a Mary-Sue are as follows:_

_-Perfection. Mary-Sue is perfect in everything she does. Not like a perfectionist or a neat freak, but literally perfect. She's the whole package: drop-dead gorgeous, brave as they come, always does the right thing (and is haunted by EXTREME guilt if she doesn't and everything goes awry), makes all the men fall in love with her, talented in every way, beloved by everyone but the evil side... And the list goes on, but you get what I mean. Obviously, not every character will possess all of those qualities, but any of them- especially if not written well- will set many readers' Sue radar on code-red. _

_-The star of the show- Mary-Sue has a tendency to take over the story, whether that be by making the canon characters fall at her feet, creating more drama than does the actual plot, or simply being the only character who matters in the story. She overshadows all of the canon characters and often sends them out-of-character or into total flatness._

_-Self-insertion. Mary Sue is often the way an author puts him or herself into the story. This isn't always a bad thing, if one feels that they connect to the story and its characters in that way , or if an author writes his or herself accurately, complete with flaws. It often gets out of hand, though, when a character becomes a beautified, "dream" version of its creator, getting really cheesy, really fast._

The trick seems to be, at least to me, the same for making good characters in an original fiction work. You really have to get inside their heads. What makes them tick? What are their pet peeves? When have they seen death, and how has it affected them? What was their relationship with their parents? Can they raise just one eyebrow or not? Can they sail under the command of a pirate, or can they not? *coughs* Sorry, wrong universe. Still, I think you get the idea. It is my personal opinion that you can have a plot that screams 'Mary-Sue', and as long as you make it real, you can still pull it off.

Admittedly, this isn't always easy. Having a work that is OC-centric can quickly move too far from canon, leaving you basically writing an original work with the settings of Middle-earth. You might as well change the setting, write an original work, and try to make some money off of it.

A 'safer' and more conventional use for OCs is as characters to flesh out a story about a canon character. Most works have these. Setting a work in Gondor? You'll need servants, courtiers, cooks, maybe some musicians, ladies-in-waiting. All need to be created from your own imagination. The same type of people will be needed if you set a work in an Elven realm, but there will be differences. You'll need to know racial characteristics, and which of these affect your character. What knowledge of the past would be available to them? What languages would they speak? What kind of names would they have? All things you'll need to address, or at least know.

One last type of Sue to talk about before we give advice on how to name your OC: canon-Sues. These are creatures that are supposed to be canon characters, but are re-interpreted into Sues. Popular ones for this fandom seem to be Arwen, and occasionally Lothiriel. Again, the number one rule is to keep your characters realistic. Fanfiction has one defining element: we're playing with someone else's characters. That adds an extra element for us to think about. Writing an alternate character interpretation is one thing (I do that a lot with certain characters *coughSauroncough*) but turning a good, well written character into a Sue is something that I personally can't stand, and will turn those who love those characters off if you write them that way.

_But if you aren't working with a canon character, an important thing you're sure to need is a name for any character of your own creation. I suppose I ought to begin by just laying out what a name does and doesn't, should and shouldn't, do for a character. _

_A good- or bad- name can drastically alter readers' perception of your character. The name is among the first things many stories present for their character, even at times including it in the title (unwisely, I've heard it said). A good name won't call attention to itself; it will fit into its setting, and it will be practical enough for (in the words of Sam's Gaffer) "daily wear and tear."_

_The name shouldn't make the character, though, and a writer definitely shouldn't concern him or herself with making the name what draws in readers. If you try to turn a "cool" sounding name into the main grounds for someone to check out your story, intentionally or not, it can easily backfire into a turn-off, especially if the name doesn't fit the context of your story._

_One cup of proper placement, a half-cup of logic, and variant tablespoons' worth of research: that's the simple recipe for an appropriate name. The concept is simple: elves get elvish names, humans get names for their proper culture, hobbits get hobbit names, etc. Modern names won't do; random words (with a few hobbity exceptions) won't do; and utter nonsense certainly won't. It all goes back to linguistics._

And as I hope you remember, linguistics are the heart of Tolkien's works, making what you name characters in this fandom even more important than most. So let's get started. The easiest cultures to provide names for are the Hobbits and the Rohirrim. As Tolkien said himself, Hobbit lasses are usually named for flowers and jewels, while lads are given names that come from their own history. As Tolkien thoughtfully provided massive family trees for several Hobbit families, this shouldn't be too difficult. Again, the RotK appendixes are your best friend!

Rohirric names are also easy: they're Anglo-Saxon. You can google 'Anglo-Saxon names' and find lists upon lists of perfectly appropriate names.

Dúnedain names are probably the hardest, because they draw on multiple languages. Quenya, Sindarin, and Adûnaic are all possible. Aragorn and Arathorn are Sindarin. Elendil, Isildur, and Anárion are Quenya. Imrahil is Adûnaic. The upper echelons of Gondorian nobility seem to like to name people after heroes of old, especially the ruling stewards, who have the names Ecthelion, Turgon, and Denethor, to name a few. But they aren't the only ones. Finduilas, the older sister of Imrahil who married Denethor is named for the princess of Nargothrond. Húrin of the Keys is named for the mortal hero who defied Morgoth for forty years.

It is important to keep in mind that the events of the First Age happen six and a half thousand years before the events of the Lord of the Rings. Now, 4,000 BCE is about the beginning of the Bronze Age in our own history. These events–to most–are going legends, if they are known at all. The nobility of Gondor, the northern Dúnedain, and the Elves are going to be the ones who know this history. The people of Bree and most Hobbits probably have never even heard the stories (unless they heard it from Bilbo!) and the people of Dale are probably the same. The lower classes of Gondor probably know them as stories, like how we view the Arthurian legends today.

So what does that mean for names? You're not going to find a Luthien or an Idril in Bree or Dale! However, a Princess of Gondor might bear that name. Though personally I've never thought Luthien would be a very common name, Idril, Eärwen, Elwing, and Melian would be names potentially found for upper-class Gondorian females. Elves, on the other hand, seem to have an aversion to naming their children after historical figures. Probably because they can expect to meet said person sometime in their life. The only exception I know of is there are two Legolas's: one from Gondolin, the other from Mirkwood.

Again, languages are important here. The Sindar and Silvan folk are unlikely to have names in Quenya, as they have a historical dislike to that language. The Noldor might, but they too took names in Sindarin. Sindarin is the language to go for, unless you're setting something in the Blessed Realm.

One trick I've found helpful is to come up with a name you like and translate it. For instance, I had a character that was coming off as a 'Susan' to me. 'Susan' means 'lily', so I grabbed a Quenya dictionary and found that 'lily' is 'Indil'. And thus, I had my character's name.

_That's not too bad, right? All it takes is a little extra effort, and you'll have an easy story element that will convey all of your Tolkien expertise. Our next point takes us (fittingly) into our next chapter: AUs. So many OC stories use this clause as a grand excuse for placing their own heroes and heroines in the spotlight of the plot, which shouldn't happen, not if a writer is really looking to create an original story idea (as ironic as that may seem) that will attract readers. _

_It happens on a pretty regular basis, however- but that's a point I'll shut up about for now! (We've already talked even longer than usual.) See you all in the next chapter, and happy writing!_

Remember, if you have any questions about this subject or anything else in this fic, we'd love for you to ask us! You can either PM us, or go to our forum, which is under Crackers' profile, and ask there. We'll see you again in the next (and last) chapter. Until then, have fun!


	12. Alternate Universes

**MsLovesToRead789: You've disabled PM, so I couldn't respond any other way to your question. You have all the ones by JRR; there is the History of Middle-earth series by his son Christopher, which is where the Book of Lost Tales is. Check out chapter seven for more information. :)**

* * *

><p>Alternate Universes<p>

So, since twelve is a very auspicious number for the Elves, we decided to make this fic twelve chapters long. …Ok, not really, this is just how it turned out. But yes, this is the last chapter.

_And in it, as the title may suggest, we're addressing AUs. First off, I'd like to get it out there that just because you're going to say your fic is "set in an alternate universe" doesn't mean that it's perfectly okay to disregard the past eleven chapters. And not just because Skye and I have worked so hard on them!- because even if you're writing an AU fic, it only makes sense to still show respect for the rules the sub-created (to steal a term from Tolkien) universe you're playing in is governed by. That isn't to say you *can't* label your story an AU and do whatever you want, but if you've gotten this far into our little guide, it shows that you care about respecting Tolkien's world- and would want to do so even if you're tweaking it a hair...? _

To my mind, AUs are a lot like grammar. As my creative writing professor said, you have to know it before you can play with it. An AU is not simply doing whatever you wish to the story. It's taking a specific aspect of the original work, changing it, and then exploring what that would do. In that respect, writing a good AU is almost harder than writing a gap-filler or something similar. Not only do you have to know what happened in the original story, but you have to understand the logic behind it: why what happened played out the way it did.

_People often create what they call a "What if?" AU, but, when you think about it, all good AUs will answer that question. Even if it's by adding a tenth member to the Fellowship, you're still answering that question- and you're still inside Tolkien's world, playing by Tolkien's rules. It all goes back to our very first chapter, caring about your writing because your writing is worth the care. Deciding to populate Middle-earth with fairies and unicorns can answer a "What if?" but you've also got to consider how much that really respects Tolkien's wishes- and oftentimes the wishes of your potential readers, too! _

We are so luck to get to play in a universe that is so rich: Tolkien spent his entire life working and refining these tales. There is so much to be explored that it almost seems like cheating to add new creatures or new civilizations. There's no need! Anything you could want is already in Ea. Adding random, ill-fitting elements says–to me–that the writer was too lazy to research what already exists in this wonderful universe. I doubt that's the impression you want to give, and I doubt that's the kind of people you are, if you're reading this!

_Thus, like so many things else, a quality AU comes down to taste, discretion, research, and characterization. Now, you might be thinking, "But isn't this universe technically one with two canons?"; the movies often give many writers an easy out of at least two of the items I've mentioned. As you know, Skye and I have been a bit "biased" in this guide toward the books (if you want to put it that way), but adopting the movie!canon doesn't remove you from Tolkien's universe. When it comes to the issue of movieverse, I say to go for it, as long as you do your research on anything you choose to dabble in outside what's addressed by Peter Jackson's films. (And I also say to go read the books, but I digress...) If you're in the movieverse, don't leave it._

Another thing to keep in mind is that the movies don't quite manage to tell the whole story. While they do an excellent job, (they are the best book to movie adaptions I've seen) they still leave out some rather important things. Like Numenor, for example. Or that Frodo doesn't leave the Shire until 17 years after Bilbo does. These are little things, but they can make your work more logical and show to your readers that you really do know what you're talking about. I have no problems reading something that's movieverse, until they start making things up that contradict book!canon. Then I occasionally loose interest in the work, or simply find it irritating. But then, I will freely admit that I'm a purist.

_And then there are the mash-ups. It's like a casserole gone a little funky when a writer decides they can't choose between the two canons and says, "Oh, I'll sprinkle in a dash of that from the books- I like Glorfindel- but, oh, I think I also want a little suspense on the road to Helm's Deep, let's keep that battle." Or, "Well, I like how everyone stands up and volunteers to be a Fellowship member in the movie, but it's also nice in the books how Gandalf and the hobbits all meet together later and discuss things." Perhaps my examples weren't so good, but (I hope!) the point is still there: it takes your readers for an uncomfortable ride if they're unsure which canon you're following, or it varies chapter by chapter._

I would say there's on exception to what Crackers said, and she may disagree with me here, but I'm personally fond of fics that attempt to reconcile the two canons together where they are massively disparate. I'm also fine with fics that follow basic movieverse, but change some of the more...extensive...departures from book!canon. Like Faramir's little 'lets-drag-the-Hobbits-to-Osgilliath-and-completely-destroy-my-character' move. Overall though, Crackers is absolutely right: pick one and stay with it.

_I do indeed agree! As long as you've got some order in your combination of the canons, there's really no problem, but when it becomes a random mixing together of dialogue and elements from both, to the point where, like Skye's already mentioned, it begins to appear you don't know what you're talking about, that's where we start to get issues. A little order and reliability never hurt anybody's fanfic. _

It seems we're repeating ourselves: you really have to know what you're talking about. So, now that we've spent a lot of time on what *not* to do, why don't we talk a bit on how to write a good AU?

The first trick is to find a part in the story that could have gone differently. Like, what would have happened in Moria if Glorfindel had been included in the Fellowship? Or if Denethor didn't die in the pyre? Or–a popular one–what would have happened if Boromir hadn't died? *starts kicking plot bunnies* I really need to remember not to give them ammunition...

Then, once you have the element you're changing, you follow the logic of what would happen next. If Glorfindel had faced the Balrog instead of Gandalf, what would that mean for Middle-earth? Would Denethor fight to keep his rival Aragorn off the throne of Gondor? How would things be different if Boromir rather than Faramir was Steward of Gondor, or would he abdicate in his brother's favor? All things to consider.

Then, there are the really big AUs. For instance, what would have happened if Sauron had regained the Three Rings during the second Age? What if he had won the War of the Last Alliance? What if the quest failed, and he regained his Ring? What if Saruman got the Ring? Harder to answer, but certainly intriguing to think about. *eyes the ravenous plot bunnies nervously*

_That's all any good AU takes, intriguing questions that will attract readers and create a twist on the story's plot without leaving behind everything else about the universe you're working in. With that in mind, I suppose this is where we find ourselves at the end of- not all things, but at least this chapter, and this guide. It's been a good ride, and I sincerely hope you've had as much fun reading it as we've had writing it, and that we've been able to help you out by just sharing a small portion of everything there is to know about Tolkien's wonderful cosmos._

If there's anything you take away from this guide, I hope it's a greater appreciation for Tolkien's works. I know I've said it before, and I know I'll say it again, but there is no substitution for reading the books that are a culmination of a lifetime of work for this author. Thousands upon thousands have read and loved his works, Crackers and I included.

Again, if you have any questions we didn't cover in this guide, or something you didn't understand, or you just want to chat, feel free to PM us, or check out our forum. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, or favorited, or followed, or just read.

_Your feedback has been so encouraging throughout this story; it really does mean a lot to us to know people are interested in keeping their fanfic in touch with Tolkien's world. That said, go forth and write!_

So I guess all that is left to say is to quote the Great Eagles:"Farewell, wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!"


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